3962. Lesha

Lexical Summary

Lesha: Lesha

Original Word: לֶשַׁע
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Lesha`
Pronunciation: LEH-shah
Phonetic Spelling: (leh'-shah)
KJV: Lasha
NASB: Lasha
Word Origin: [from an unused root thought to mean to break through]

1. a boiling spring
2. Lesha, a place probably East of the Jordan

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Lasha

From an unused root thought to mean to break through; a boiling spring; Lesha, a place probably East of the Jordan -- Lasha.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a place on the boundary of Canaan
NASB Translation
Lasha (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[לֶ֫שַׁע] proper name, of a location near Sodom and Gomorrah, only לָ֑שַׁעGenesis 10:19; ᵐ5 D Δασα; E ᵐ5^L Λασα; site unknown; = Kallirrho-, with hot-springs, Jerome^{Quaest in Gen, (10.19)}, compare Buhl^{Geogr 123 and references}

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Setting

Lasha is mentioned only once, in Genesis 10:19, within the Table of Nations. The verse defines the extent of Canaanite territory:

“​And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.” (Genesis 10:19)

Geographical Considerations

• Context places Lasha at the southeastern limit of early Canaan, opposite Sidon in the northwest.
• The surrounding place–names (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim) cluster around the Dead Sea, suggesting Lasha lay near its eastern or southern shores.
• Classical writers linked a hot-spring region east of the Dead Sea (Callirrhoe, modern Zerqa Maʿin) to the biblical site. Others propose locations on the Lisan Peninsula or near Wadi Siyyagh. No proposal has been confirmed archaeologically.
• The name’s association with fissures or mineral springs harmonizes with the geothermal features that still mark the Dead Sea basin.

Historical Significance

1. Boundary Marker: By bracketing Lasha with Sidon, Moses records a north-south span for Canaan at the time of dispersion, reinforcing the concrete reality of the nations listed in Genesis 10.
2. Link to Judged Cities: Lasha’s proximity to Sodom and Gomorrah ties it to the region later destroyed for rampant wickedness (Genesis 19). The single mention preserves a memory of a populated area that, like the Cities of the Plain, eventually vanished from history.
3. Witness to Preservation of Scripture: That an otherwise obscure locality is retained in the text underscores the Spirit-guided precision of the record—even when later generations lose sight of the location itself.

Theological and Ministry Insights

• God Sets Boundaries: Acts 17:26 affirms that the LORD “determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.” Lasha testifies to this principle in primeval history.
• Transience of Human Settlements: Once considered a border town, Lasha disappeared, mirroring Psalm 103:15-16, yet the Word that names it “stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).
• Warning and Hope: Its association with the doomed Cities of the Plain reminds believers of God’s righteous judgment, while the survival of the Genesis record encourages confidence that no detail of divine revelation is wasted.

Archaeological and Scholarly Notes

• Surveys along the eastern Dead Sea shore continue to search for Late Bronze/Early Iron Age sites with thermal springs or sulfur deposits that match ancient descriptions.
• Pottery scatters at Zerqa Maʿin and an adjacent tell have yielded Middle Bronze remains, offering a plausible horizon for Lasha, though excavation is limited.
• Eusebius (Onomasticon) noted a place called “Lasa” eight Roman miles from Zoar; this may reflect a lingering tradition that places Lasha near the southern Dead Sea.

Key Passage for Study

Genesis 10:15-19 supplies the broader context, listing the sons of Canaan and their territories. Reading this section alongside Genesis 13:10-13; 14:8-12; and Deuteronomy 1:7 helps trace how the early boundaries later intersect Israel’s story.

Application for Teaching and Preaching

• Use Lasha to illustrate how even obscure biblical details confirm the historicity of Scripture.
• Pair the verse with maps to show the continuity between Genesis geography and modern topography.
• Highlight God’s sovereign ordering of nations, prompting worship and humility before His providential rule.

Forms and Transliterations

לָֽשַׁע׃ לשע׃ lā·ša‘ lāša‘ Lasha

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 10:19
HEB: וּצְבֹיִ֖ם עַד־ לָֽשַׁע׃
NAS: and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
KJV: and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.
INT: and Zeboiim far Lasha

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 3962
1 Occurrence

lā·ša‘ — 1 Occ.